Electric furnace



June 26, I923.

1.459.801 E. L. SMALLEY ELECTRIC FURNACE Filed Aug. 6, 1920 2Sheets-Sheet 1 June 26, 1923.

E. L. SMALLEY ELECTRIC FURNACE Filed Aug. 6. 1920 2' Sheets-Sheet 2 MN WPatented June 26, 1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWIN L. SMALLEY, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY.

ELECTRIC FURNACE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN L. SMALLEY, a citizen of the United States,and resident of East Orange, in the county of Essex and State of NewJersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in ElectricFurnaces, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to electric furnaces, and my improvement isdirected to certain novel means of supporting and en aging the heatingelements thereof against t e interior surfaces of such furnaces. I

Particularly in the instance ofa furnace having a housing composed ofbricks of pressed infusorial earth, or of other suitable material whichis a non-conductor of electricity, my inventioncomprehends the integralformation with said'bricks, at their surace exposed to thefurnaoeinterior, of reception means for the resistance conductors constitutingthe heating units, and with said reception means I provide looking meansto retain the heatin units in such engagement and-positivel 'old themcompacted snugly against the nterior surfaces of the furnace.

As an example of my invention I form u n the housing bricks, at theirsurfaces w hich are to be exposed to the furnace interior, a series ofprojections, or bosses, arranged in spaced relation, and in separatedgroups and tiers of groups, so that parallel strands of a resistor, maybe lodged between adjacent projections or bosses, and pins of porcelainor other suitable material which is a non-conductor of electricity arethen entered within aligned holes that extend through each series ofsaid projections or bosses, beyond the lodged resistor strands, torevent extrusion thereof.

ther features and advantages of my invention will hereinafter appear.

In the drawin s:

Figure 1 is a fi'ont sectional elevation of a furnace equipped with myimproved resis tor lodgement and securing means.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged, detail side view in section of the resistorlodgement and securin means,

ig. 3 is a front view thereof, reduced, and

Fig. 4 is a detail of a modification.

In the example of an electrical furnace illustrated in Fig. 1, it isseen to include the housing brick 1, whose surface is exposed to thefurnace interior.

Usually the heating elements, as resistance conductors in the form ofcoils of return bend or other character, have been car ried by unitrefractories or plates with which the interior surface of the furnace islined, but with the aid of my present improvernent I am able to dispensewith all such lining plates. Instead I provide the housing briclr itselfwith projections or bosses 2, arranged in groups, and directed towardsthe furnace interior. The projection'sfor bosses in each apartsufficiently for the lodgement, between'adjacent projections'or bosses,of a resistor strand, and if the resistor is of the return bend type,having parallel strands 3, as here shown, then the interspacesseparating the projectionsor bosses in a group will coincide with thespaced arrangement of the strands, 'andfthus will receive said strands,which are thereby respectively supported and insulated one from another.

'The roups of projections or bosses 2 are only ariitrarily indicated inthe drawing as each including six projections or bosses for thecontainment of a return bend coil having that number of strands, butobviously said number may be varied. As represented in Fig. 2, a numberof groups, 4, of said projections or bosses are provided, in lateralspaced arrangement, with their respective projections or bosses andinterspaces aligned, so that a lateral series of said groups willunitedly support all the strands of a complete return bend coilthroughout the full length thereof.

Thus the'upper tier of groups 4 of Fig. 2 is shown as containing theheating element 3, having the bends 4:, that extend around therespective pro'ections or bosses at one end of the tier, w ile theterminals 5 project from the other end, for inclusion in an electricalcircuit (not shown) according to usual furnace practice. 7

The projections or bosses in a grou are provided with aligned orifices6. which extend therethrough in parallelism with the housing surface,spaced therefrom sufiiciently to clear the contained resistor strands,and a pin or the like 7 of porcelain or other suitable material that isa non-conductor of group are spaced means, may, when desirable, becovered by electricity, is removably entered in said aligned orifices,to thus comprise a guard or lock toiretain theresistor o'r' beaci g'i'eli eirt in its lo'dged position. Said pin? is shown as having a head 8 toserve as a stop in coaction with the uppermost projection or boss, andto permit its withdrawal for the removal of the resistor.

When there is more than one tier of groups 4 in a single'plane, the"groups of adjac nt tie ar isp ed i t gg r lationfas er the cgia mp'lein Fig. 2, where two of suc i'tiers are sliown,'because by this meansthe pins 7 in a lo 'ertier are thereby rendered capable or' with awa'l,through the spaces separating adjabent group's of an uppit Q Fig- .1;e-s riai ej 9f t e s e Walls f the 'furnacefhoirsing en-(Shown asrovided \i'i'th {exposed heatin elements, jlo f ed and locked inposition in the manner described, and thesgiine true of the upper andlower surfaces of 'the housing interior, exceptingtha't the heatingele'ment in the hot ton surface, with its lodging and retaining areiractory plate, as indicated at 9 in said figure Y .It should also beilolted' that in the cases Where more than one Qtier 10f groups areemployed, in the rel'ait on referred to, h adjace hr Ject ons b s e ofsu ce'ed'ng tiers ra rie bet ween them the lodgem'ent spac for a finalstrand in a resistor element.

I t ,will be appreciated that by the herein described means ,of securingresistance conductors in exposed relation against the surface of thehousing brick, early heating effeet is provided, and also thecontingency of broken unit refractories, thus needing replacement, iseliminated.

The projections or bosses provided upon the surface of the housin brickmay be formed integrally therewit but may instead be in the form ofseparate members,

having suitable means of engagement with the housing. Thus, in Fig. 4;,I have shown supporting means 10 like tho'seemployed in my Patent No.1,346,854. Plates, as 11, are carried by supports 10, said plates havingthe projections or bosses 12, which receive between them the resistors13, and ins 14 are entered through orifices provide therefor in saidprojections or bosses, to retain the resistors in their lodged position.

Variations within the s irit and scope of my invention are equa 1ycomprehended herein by virtue of the foregoing disclosure.

"I claim:

'1. An electric furnace having its housing exposed to the furnaceinterior, means err gageahlemith the housingfor the inwardly uncovered,removable lodgemem of a re sista'nce "conductor, and movable securingmeans for said conductor.

'2. In an electric-furnace, in combination, a housing whose innersurface is exposed LU the furnace interior, a return-bend heatingelement having parallelism-ands, a group of s' aced bosses upon saidhousing surface, \v' 'ere'of acent'bosses permit the lodgeincnt betweenthem of said strands respcctivciy, and removable nieans to secure saidstrands in their lodgemen't.

In anelectric furnace, in combination, a'housing whose inner surface isexposed to the 'turrrace i nterior, areturn bend heatingleinentflraving' parallel strands, a 'group of spaced bossesupon"saidhousing surface, whereof adjacent bosses ermit thelodgemen-shaman them of said strands, respectively, saidlgosses havingalignedorifices, and a pi'nof'non-conductive material reninvablyentere'd in said orifices to retain said stif'ancls intheir lodgedposition.

4. In an electric furnace, in combination, a housingwhose inner surfaceis exposed to the fi'ii'nape'interior,"a return bend resistanceconductorhaving parallel strands, laterally s e larated groupsof spacedbosses upon sa'id musing surface, adjacent bosses in each group beingaligned to afford lodgemeiit between them for a conductor strand inexposed relation, and removable securing means for said strand.

In an electric'fiirnace, in combination. ahousing whose inner'surfacc isexposed to the furnace interior, return bend resistance conductorshaving parallel strands, tiers of laterally separzitedgroups of spacedbosses upon snidhousing surface, whereof adjacent bosses in each groulpare aligned to afford lodgeinent between them for a conductor strand .inexposed relation, each group of bosses having aligned orifices, aremovable loclc pin for said strands in said orifices, and the groups ofbosses in said tiers being staggered for the entry and removal of saidpins.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York,this sec ond day of August, A. D. 1920.

EDWIN L. SMALLE'Y.

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